[JonLerd]

thanks for looking into this thread, here is what i bring to the table...


Mission:

I want to get LED tails lights (brake, turns signal , and reverse) but all the after markets are just plain cheap and they dont use the LED light bars in the oem tails. I however have a solution by making small led arrays that can be put in place in the oem tails but they require cutting and its not really something easy to do. However i just came across the ability to get flexible IC printing circuits done which will allow me to create the same application that can be inserted through the stock holes of the housing. However in order to fill the housing completely i need to crack open a tail light and experiment.

Need:

Im looking for someone who has a trashed up tail light (possibly from a rear end accident) that is willing to ship me the tail light (just need one) i will pay for shipping and any cost incurred by you.

In return:

I will in return offer you one of these retrofits for cost so you can also have this in your car. Im not looking to be a business in making LED tails for everyone and hence i don't want to buy a new set of oems to experiment. Simply just reaching out to see who can get a hold of a broken tail and in return i can do you this as a favor for helping me out.

Experience:

I have years of experience with IC circuitry and LED applications with small projects here and their. This retrofit is really a walk in the park for me so its not a matter of can i do it but how am i going to do it. Anyone looking to take advantage of this offer to help me then i would be more than happy to return the favor down the line.

How everyone will benefit?:

because im not looking to sell anything i will do a full write up on how you can DIY this for yourself...with just a few SMD LEDs and resistors i cant see this being more than 50-60 bucks to do. Even if you not looking for led tails with oem fit and finish, im sure there are many who are and you would not only be doing me a favor but everyone else who can benefit from this.

Thanks for reading! and thanks for helping...

-Jon

[NiVeDh]

If you want to do this for E90 tail lights, I'll send you mine.

[E92-Lighting]

good idea but what kind of smd leds do you plan to use?

[JonLerd]

Originally Posted by NiVeDh

If you want to do this for E90 tail lights, I'll send you mine.

thanks for the offer man but i really want to do this for my car first...the procedure is basically the same just different measurements...if i can get a DIY up it might help to benefit E90 owners also.

-Jon

[JonLerd]

Originally Posted by E92-Lighting

good idea but what kind of smd leds do you plan to use?

The SMD leds are basically the same ones they use in the auto industry...i have a reel of them right now i can snap a few pics in a bit.. but rest assure their mid way between low and high power leds their brightness is attained from being in an array configuration. These LEDS arent directional like the typical 3mm or 5mm leds you see on some LED bulbs

[Craig@SupremePower]

hmmm interesting..

[JonLerd]

here is a link to the type of led that will be used if someone should be interested in the project.

http://nationstar.manufacturer.globa...GetProduct.htm

[fdsasdasdf]

I have always wanted to do this. LED lights prevent rear ends into your car more efficiently (studies show faster driver response time to stopping; it's why every Infinity has LED tail lights), are brighter, and look better at night. I've always wondered why BMW only does LED turn signals for the E90 and not the whole package. It's a shame that they only did it for the E46 coupe for that short time and then back-tracked.

[KkSc]

good idea!

[JonLerd]

still no takers who can help huh?

[halB]

You cannot use LED in a light housing that is designed for light bulb and expect the same result. This is due to the fact that the optics, which consists of internal mirrored reflective surfaces and small prisms embedded in the plastic lens, is designed to take light from exactly where the filament is and sent them out the back at the most efficient manner. It is similar to the workings of a search light. An LED array, nomatter how good it is packaged, cannot exactly duplicate the light pattern and density profile of the fliament in the light bulb it replaces, therefore the light will be reflected and refracted in all the wrong directions and will appear much dimmer from the intended viewing angle than when a light bulb is used. This is very much the same reason why you should not put an HID bulb in a headlight housing that is designed for a filament type light bulb. See this article:

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...nversions.html

[iheartsole]

interesting. take some pics

[JonLerd]

while what you say is true, it only applies to precision control of light that is really not a huge concern in the application i am doing. The design i have currently does not rely on the optics of the stock housing. It instead will be an array that fills the entire reflector of the housing and then be diffuse through the red/white lens. The fact is that this does work and im only trying to make an application that doesn't require cutting up of the lights but something that can be inserted. This is NOT like putting HIDS into a halogen housing since there is not a beam cut off and glare to worry about the application is not the same. If you have any other concerns please let me know and i will be more than happy to discuss.

-Jon

Originally Posted by halB

You cannot use LED in a light housing that is designed for light bulb and expect the same result. This is due to the fact that the optics, which consists of internal mirrored reflective surfaces and small prisms embedded in the plastic lens, is designed to take light from exactly where the filament is and sent them out the back at the most efficient manner. It is similar to the workings of a search light. An LED array, nomatter how good it is packaged, cannot exactly duplicate the light pattern and density profile of the fliament in the light bulb it replaces, therefore the light will be reflected and refracted in all the wrong directions and will appear much dimmer from the intended viewing angle than when a light bulb is used. This is very much the same reason why you should not put an HID bulb in a headlight housing that is designed for a filament type light bulb. See this article:

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...nversions.html

[JonLerd]

Originally Posted by iheartsole

interesting. take some pics

i did this on my friends honda prelude, i will try to snap picture but its essentially the same idea...stay tuned.

-Jon

[Synergy 69]

any updates?

[JonLerd]

i never got a tail light to crack open....i ended up getting a broken fog light and retrofitted tsx projecters into those so far and it looks good...i have a thread on that...but if i can find a broken tail i can get this project moving...

[CPI]

Interesting project! Hope you find a tail light so you can start the project.

[JoeyBananaz18]

BUMP for something unique. i hope this gets off the ground.

[NoSole]

Did anything come of this? It's been a few months since the last post so I'm interested to see if it all came together or just got tossed by the wayside.

[JonLerd]

i had this working but was not 100% satisfy with the fit. All the offers i made for broken tail lights were to people who wanted 40-50 plus shipping for an otherwise useless light to them and i did not have the heart to give my money to those greedy people. I ended up just trying to eye ball the side of the compartment and after a few trials i had to put it on the side. The only way for a perfect fit is to get exact measurements from a broken housing. Sorry for the let down folks....i'll try to post pic of how my trial runs came out...it looks like the back of a mercedes SL with leds. except for when the leds didnt fit there would be a hot spot or 2 which was unacceptable for me.